Not a Bad Thing
by purplerainn2012
Summary: A boy met a girl seven years ago in the woods and formed a friendship that would challenge the misconceptions of the society they lived in. That is if circumstances work out in their favor. The story starts in 4th year and will expand to after 7th. Rated T for now will most likely change later.
1. Prologue

**AN: This is something that's been on my mind for a while. I'm very interested to see where I go with it. Well without further ado.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the HP universe.**

* * *

><p>PROLOGUE<p>

* * *

><p>It was dusk, the perfect time of dusk when the sky is still full of pinks and oranges before the purples and blues overcome the scene.<p>

It was also the perfect time for magic, one of the peak moments in the day when magic is strongest, especially for budding witches and wizards.

There was a light breeze that floated through the forest. It was unlike any usual breeze though. The breeze was dancing in an almost impish manner, and darted around the trees. It picked up, carried a bit, and then flew back barreling in twists, turns, and dives; carrying with it various leaves and foliage that it found along the forest floor.

And there in the center of the wind dance, was a young girl no more than seven years of age. She was swinging as if she were on a swing and yet there was none to be found, just a young girl swinging midair in a clearing in a forest.

"Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Remember me to one, who lives there,

She once was a true love of mine,"

She sang almost as if she were in a trance of sorts. Her voice was ethereal adding to the mystic mood as the sky grew a few shades darker filling with a more purple hue. Fireflies flitted around her, almost humming to the forest song she was creating. She was unaware of her surroundings for she controlled everything within the floor of the forest clearing. However if she opened her eyes, she would have seen a boy watching her as he peered around the willow tree he was hiding behind.

The girl's song came to an end as the final leaves flourished and floated to the ground. As the forest grew still the girl floated to the ground as well, eyes still closed. It was only as soon as she landed that the boy grew courage.

"So you've got magic then?"

The girl's eyes popped open in fright and turned to the source of the noise. To the boy she looked like a rabbit that was deciding whether or not it was time to run and hide.

The girl evidently decided on the former and turned to run but the boy called out again.

"No wait!" She hesitated. "I do too!"

The girl stared at him in confusion.

"What?" She said speaking for the first time. "You've got what too?"

"Why magic of course!" he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "That was brilliant by the way."

"Prove it," said the girl taking no heed in his compliments. She would not stand to be ridiculed again. Not after last time.

"Well alright if you insist," said the boy clearly interested in the opportunity to show off.

With that he entered her clearing and stood next to her.

"Close your eyes," he whispered to her.

The girl looked like she was about to refuse but then ultimately acquiesced. The girl stood for a moment before growing impatient.

"Well?" she asked.

"Hold on...ok now...open them!" the boy said full of excitement.

Her eyes fluttered open and then she gasped unable to believe what she was seeing.

All around her were thousands, no millions, of fireflies arranged in clusters as if each were lanterns to light the growing dark of the forest.

"Wow," the girl breathed, "This is amazing! How'd you learn to do that?"

"Well when I was three I displayed the gift. So my father had all of the toys in my nursery crafted to train my gifts so that when I go off to Hogwarts I would be at the very top of my class."

"What gift? Hogwarts?" she laughed, "What is that?"

"Didn't your parents tell you about these things yet? Or did they go to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?"

The girl laughed again, "You sure are funny. Those don't even sound like real places. My mummy and daddy met at Oxford and as for 'gift' I'm assuming you mean my magic. My parents don't know about that yet. It's my little secret."

The boy scrunched his face up in confusion, "Wait...do you mean your parents haven't got any magic?"

The girl shook her head.

"Well are they squibs?"

"No!" The girl exclaimed quite offended, "My parents are not squids they are human beings just like me and you."

"No silly! I said squiBs not squiDs," the boy corrected.

"What's a squib?"

"Well if you don't know what any of this is...then are your parents Muggles?"

"What's a Muggle? And you didn't tell me what a squib was either!"

"A muggle is a non-magical person. And a squib is someone who is magical but can't do magic."

"Oh my parents are Muggles," the girl stated matter-of-factly.

The boy was shocked. Dumbfounded was probably a better word.

"Wow! I've never met one of you before! You're a..." The boy paused as if unsure of what to say next, "a muggle-born." He finished saying the word as if it was something strange and foreign on his tongue.

The girl laughed hesitantly, unsure if that was a good or bad thing.

"I guess so," she said.

"So why are you here?" The boy continued not wanting to say anything else for fear of saying something rude to this girl.

"What do you mean?"

"Well these woods are far away from any Muggle towns and the anti-Muggle barrier is a good ten minutes' walk from here. So how'd you get here?"

"Oh...well I don't...well you see I just closed my eyes and thought of this place where my family went camping once. Then I opened my eyes and I was, well here," she finished.

"Where are you from?"

"Yorkshire."

"Do you mean to say you apparated over 300 kilometers?" He saw the question coming so he answered it for her, "It is a magical way of traveling. Only when witches and wizards are 16 are they taught how to do that. Even then it's difficult especially over such a long distance. How'd you learn to do that?"

"I don't know really. It just sort of happened," the girl said filling with pride

The boy processed what he just learned; certainly whenever his father said of all the nasty things about Muggles and Muggle-borns, or as he was taught Mudbloods, he never meant ones that were clearly so skilled and especially ones at such a young age as well. Therefore he concluded making this girl his friend was something that his father would approve of and something that he actually wanted to do.

The boy smiled at the girl and held out his hand, "Draco Malfoy."

The girl smiled in return and shook his hand, "Hermione Granger."

Draco would later look back on this moment as the decisive moment when his life could never be the same again.


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE**

**AN: Here it is the next chapter. I am going to try and keep up with updates. I'm actually writing this story out in advance instead of on the fly like my last stories, therefore I think for this story I will actually be able to be consistent with updates. Hope everyone is having a very Happy New Year. Leave me a review if you like what you're reading. Without further ado, here it is.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

* * *

><p>Hermione Granger's eyes fluttered open. It had been years since she had that dream and once again she was unable to remember anything about the boy other than his stormy grey eyes. Hermione looked to the window to try and clear her head. As she gazed at the overwhelming darkness she quickly assessed that she not only missed the sunset, her favorite part of the journey, but they would be approaching Hogwarts quite soon as well. Hermione smiled as she thought of Hogwarts. Like so many other Muggle-born children Hermione never felt like she belonged in the world she grew up in. She was bullied for a wide array of things but one reoccurring flaw that the other children found in her was her "weirdness". When Professor McGonagall arrived with her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, Hermione could instantly feel all of the ridicule fade away as she realized what she truly was, was special. It was as if a dream she used to dream had come true. That perhaps there was such a thing as magic.<p>

"Blimey, Hermione! We would've woken you up if we realized you were going to sleep for so long!" Ron exclaimed as he entered the room with Harry both dressed in their robes.

"Honestly Ronald you act as if the world is ending," she smiled at her two best friends, "No but thank you I needed that. Now out! I need to change into my robes."

She all but pushed them out as she turned a deaf ear to their grumblings of how they were both dressed and she was the only one not ready.

As they walked from the platform to the carriages Hermione got the sudden feeling that someone was watching her. She turned and there was the one and only Draco Malfoy surrounded by his cronies and as per usual glaring at her and her friends. He sneered when their eyes met and she rolled her eyes grabbing Harry and Ron's arms and quickening their pace. She would not stand for a confrontation which would surely end in house point deduction before they even started the term.

* * *

><p>After Dumbledore's speech the hall was buzzing with gossip and speculation of what the new term would hold for them.<p>

Meanwhile Hermione's thoughts turned back to her dream. When she was a child she would often have dreams such as the one she had on the train quite frequently. The months leading up to Hogwarts they had all but stopped. She had previously chalked it up to being a lonely child dreaming of just one friend who understood her, and assumed the ending of such dreams was finally realizing that she was not alone.

_Maybe_, she thought, _I just need to engage more with everyone_.

"'ERMYOONE!" Ron yelled his mouth full of food.

_Exhibit A_, she thought.

"What is it Ronald? Seriously you have absolutely no tact."

"We've only been saying your name for five minutes!" Ron retorted sarcastically having swallowed.

"Zoning out Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly, I was just thinking."

"Don't you always do that?" Ron joked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "About Moody returning, I wonder why he's back."

"Well I reckon that he probably got bored with retirement," George said jumping into their conversation.

"So he decided to teach?" Fred asked his twin incredulously.

"What do you think Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Well you all heard Dumbledore's speech about the Tournament. He's probably here to help in case something happens. People have died you know."

With that the conversation at the table turned to glory and riches beyond one's imagination that came with winning the Tournament.

* * *

><p>The Gryffindors entered their tower still chatting rather animatedly about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. When the conversation turned from talk of enteral glory and riches to how fit the girls from Beauxbatons must be, Hermione left for her dorm.<p>

She quickly began her yearly ritual of excitedly unpacking her trunk and organizing herself for the new year. Hermione reveled in order. Harry and Ron always joked and told her that she was too meticulous and persnickety but she always brushed their comments off. She could have disorder; she just PREFERRED to have everything orderly. Life was easier that way. After everything was placed right where it belonged, Hermione got ready for bed. As she snuggled into her sheets, her last thought before sleep overtook her was for another dream of the little boy with grey eyes.

* * *

><p>Across the castle someone else was sitting down to do their yearly ritual.<p>

Every year after the feast, Draco Malfoy sat down in his dorm to write two his letters; one to his father which generally entailed details of the feast speeches, the new professor, and such. This letter was always used as a sort of reaffirmation of his duty to succeed in his classes and Quidditch. The second letter was to his mother. Where the first letter was rather short and held no superfluous use of linguistics, this second one was open and discussed his concerns and stresses about school for the upcoming year. This year was different however as Draco, though excited for the Tri-Wizard Tournament was quite annoyed that Quidditch was canceled for this year. It was one of the only things Draco really loved about the school year. Draco set his completed letters aside so he could take them to the Owlry the next day to be delivered.

Settling into bed for the night, Draco's thoughts turned to his dream of meeting her the first time. He had them frequently when he was a child but from time to time he would still get them. However the dream he just recently had was different, for never before had his dreams been so vivid or detailed. It was practically a memory.

_Probably because it is a memory_, Draco thought. In fact it was Draco's happiest memory from his childhood.

_If only she could remember_, he thought.


End file.
